In our series ’That Special Bond’ we speak with some of the top names in the sport about the horses that have shaped their careers, left a lasting impression and sometimes even broken hearts. Cassio Rivetti has had quite a few of those, and having ridden for Ukraine’s Alexander Onyschenko for nearly a decade the Brazilian showjumper has seen many stars enter and leave his stables. But there is one horse that has made a lasting impression, and that forever will be hard to replace…

“Vivant is for sure the most special horse I had in my career. He was so brave, extremely careful and was always fighting for me at every show. Vivant was for sure the best horse I ever rode.

I started riding Vivant when he was 15, after he had already had a hugely successful career – first with Chris Chugg and then with Kathi Offel who also rode him for Alexander. Even at 15, Vivant was still extremely fresh and motivated – giving everything every time he went in the ring. As a rider, I could always rely on him. I competed him both at the World Championships in Caen when he was 16, and at the European Championships in Aachen when he was 17 before he was retired later that year.

As a stallion Vivant was very nice, quiet to handle and at home more like a gelding.

Doing what Vivant did will be hard to match, there are not many horses like him. I really miss him, but now I think he is in very good hands in his new home in Ireland – which is nice to know.

But I also have to mention the mare Olona that I rode my first World Championships on back in 2006. She was also a very special mare, and she put me in the big sport. Olona was very careful, but did not have too much scope and not a very nice canter either. When I got her, she was jumping the 1.30m classes and we thought that maybe she could do the 1.45m. But, then we stepped her up class by class and in the end she jumped at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen!"

“The money maker must also be Vivant I think with all his clear rounds. I also had Temple Road that did some great things, but he died unexpectedly when he was only eleven. I won the Nations Cup in Rome with him in 2013, and in Drammen the year before and had a lot of good Grand Prix rounds with him too.”

“If there was one horse I wish that I could have kept it was Sanctos. I rode him for a couple of months after Onyschenko bought him, but then he gave him to Kathi to ride instead. She had him for almost a year, and then Onyschenko sold him to Scott Brash’s sponsors and he left the team. And, I guess it’s safe to say that the rest is history!”

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